Louisville guard Russ Smith is headed to the 2013 NBA Draft, according to his father. (AP photo)

"I told him, 'Man, this is how you go out,' " Smith Sr. told Sports Illustrated. "All the people who doubted you since high school, you proved them wrong. You have back-to-back (Big East) championships, then you come back and win the national championship. All that hard work comes from working you out since you was three years old, running the beach, running the stairs, running with medicine balls, a boxing bag, it paid off."

Smith struggled in the national championship game, but he scored at least 20 points in the first five games of Louisville's run to a title. Smith averaged 18.7 points to go with 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists.